Hosiery



NOV. 1, c w TOBlN I Q HOSiERY I Filed Dec. 5, 1951 r BY WW HIS ATTOR EYS Patented Nov. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLARKE W. TOBIN, OF EAST ORANGE NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GOTHAM HOSIERY COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE HOSIERY Application filed December 5, 1931. Serial No. 579,207.

This invention relates particularly to hosiery, and more especially to that type of hosiery which is manufactured or knit of light material, such as silk, rayon, and cotton and similar threads, where it is desired to produce a light or comparatively sheer leg covering or stocking.

This invention is particularly adapted to the manufacture of stockings known as the full-fashioned? type, in which the stocking is originally knit in flat form, and the longitudinal edges brought together and fastened so as to make a seam at the rear and through the sole of the'stocking. .However, I do not Wish to be understood that this invention is to be considered as being limited to that particular type of stocking.

The object of this invention is to produce a stocking which is provided at a suitable polnt or points or at suitable locations with refer ence to the heel and toe parts thereof, with an elastic section of such resiliency as will allow the .fabric to expand and contract according to variations in the size of the foot of the wearer occasioned either by swelling or shrinking of the foot or due to variations 1n shape different from that of the normal foot.

The elastic portion just referred to is, in accordance with this invention, supplied to the fabric of the stocking durin the knitting operation, the elastic threads being inserted in the same manner as the threads incident to the act of knitting and which are continuously supplied to the knitting machine. 35

ing is provided during the-knitting operation For a detailed description of one form of or overlapping portions which might other- 9 with sole and toe portions 2 and 3 which are of heavier material than the main leg or ankle portions, the same being usually produced by introducing additional strands or threads into the machine at the time when the knitting of these portions of the stocking takes place. The numeral 4 indicates the seam of the joined edges of the foot portions of the stocking when made in fiat form to constitute a full-fashioned stocking.

The form of the improvement illustrated in the present application is generally indicated in the figures of the drawing by the numeral 5. The section 5 of the material of the stocking consists of two substantially rectangular portions forming a slightly rhomboidal section knit into the fabric of the stocking at the time it is made. The knitting to form such a section is carried out during the ordinary knitting operations, but the elastic threads which form the parts thereof are supplied to the machine atthe proper time to produce the said parts at the desired points, as will be fully appreciated by those skilled in the art.

When the elastic portions of the flat knit stockings are fastened or stitched together, as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the elastic section forms an integral part of the sole, just below the instep of the foot of the wearer, and as a result of the elasticity of said section, the same may be causedto expand or contract both longitudinally and transversely. This construction of the stocking, therefore, provides a means whereby the stocking is not only held closely about the instep of the wearer, but also enables the whole sole to accommodate itself longitudinally to the length of the foot of the wearer. This results, furthermore, in causing the toe portion and the heel portion of the stocking to fit corresponding parts of the foot of the 'wearer with great comfort to the wearer, and

with the elimination of any possible wrinkles wise be produced and cause discomfort.

The arrangement constituting the present invention also improves wearing or durable qualities of'a stocking, since by the adjustment of the foot portion of the stocking, more nearly to the sire of the wearers foot, the

tendency of the stocking to wear out through friction, either at the heel or the toe portions, is greatly reduced.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is:

1. In knit hosiery having a foot portion of heavier material than the main portion, the improvement which comprises providing a portion of the sole intermediate the heel and toe thereof with a'narrow transverse elastic section comprising fibre-covered rubber threads forming an integral part of said foot portion.

2. In knit hosiery having a foot portion of heavier reinforced material than the main portion, the improvement which comprises providing a portion of the sole thereof at or below the instep with a substantially rectangular transverse elastic section having rubber threads forming an integral part of said sole.

Signed this 3d day of December, 1931.

- CLARKE W. TOBIN. I 

